The new toll lanes and general lanes are nearly completed as commuters travel in traffic on the westbound 91Freeway through Corona on Wednesday, March 15. The new lanes are set to open Monday morning, March 20.

The new toll lanes and general lanes are nearly completed as commuters travel in traffic on the westbound 91Freeway through Corona on Wednesday, March 15. The new lanes are set to open Monday morning, March 20.

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The new toll lanes and general lanes are nearly completed as commuters travel in traffic on the westbound 91Freeway through Corona on Wednesday, March 15. The new lanes are set to open Monday morning, March 20.

After three years of construction work, closed ramps and lanes as well as a full freeway weekend shutdown dubbed “Coronageddon,” the opening of the new 91 Express Lanes project in Corona is now a few days away.

Westbound lanes will be ready Monday at 4 a.m., with the eastbound lanes following at 5 a.m.

But drivers who roll into the new 8-mile toll lane extension that morning will need to be prepared. They’ll need to know where they can enter and exit the lanes and will need a FasTrak transponder.

New rules will also be in place. To qualify for free carpool use, there must have three people instead of two in a vehicle. Discounts will be available for some drivers, such as motorcyclists and those with zero-emission electric vehicles.

Riverside County transportation officials say the $1.4 billion project — which added two toll lanes and one general lane in each direction — should improve the traffic flow on one of Southern California’s busiest and most congested corridors as well as relieve backups on roads in Corona.

The crowded route, driven by many commuters between Riverside and Orange and Los Angeles counties, is used by about 280,000 vehicles a day, Riverside County Transportation Commission data show. By 2035, an additional 140,000 cars a day are expected.

But before the commuting relief officials foresee, drivers face a final weekend of construction, closed lanes and shut ramps as crews rush to finish the project’s final touches.

Motorists got some good news with the opening this week of the new general lanes on each side. But the westbound carpool lane also has been closed this week. Intermittent lane and ramp closures started Thursday and will continue until the lanes open Monday morning.

The heaviest work is set for Sunday, with multiple lane closures planned on the eastbound side starting at midnight and continuing until Monday at 4 a.m.

Up to four lanes will be closed that day — mainly in the morning — with fewer closures reduced by afternoon and evening, said John Standiford, deputy executive director for the transportation commission.

Some lanes and ramps will also be closed on the westbound side, but not to the same extent, he said.

The agency suggests motorists avoid the area and warns of delays of at least one hour. Instead, drivers should take the 57 Freeway, the 60 Freeway or Metrolink, officials said. Major construction work that included widening 32 bridges, improving five interchanges and realigning ramps and local reads is complete, Standiford said.

But crews must still stripe lanes, finish paving a few spots and complete railing on the side of the freeway. During a Wednesday morning visit to the site, crews were sanding the surface of the 70-foot-tall lane connector from the 15 to the 91.

The connector — one of the largest elements of the project — will also open Monday. And two ramps — Serfas Club Drive and Maple Street — that had been closed for a long time will be open before the weekend begins.

The 8-mile toll lanes connect with the 10-mile Orange County Transportation Authority toll lanes — allowing travelers to from the 15 to the 55.

Those traveling that span will save 78 minutes a day in round trip travel time, transportation commission studies show.

That will, in turn, relieve traffic on the regular lanes, Standiford said. Those driving the regular lanes will save an average of 12 minutes a day, agency studies found.

When traveling the route, drivers should plan ahead because the toll lanes only have limited entry and exit points.

Those going westbound on the 91, must enter near the 15 and won’t be able to get off until a point near the Orange County line, where there will be 1.25-mile transition area to enter or exit the toll lanes. Eastbound travelers must enter the toll lanes at the county line and can’t exit until they get to the 15 in Corona.

The toll lanes will also be accessible from the northbound 15 near Ontario Avenue in Corona, which takes vehicles on the flyover to the westbound 91. The same connector also funnels eastbound 91 drivers to the southbound 15.

The new lanes will replace the existing carpool lane in each direction, but vehicles with three or more people can use them for free most hours but they will now need a transponder. Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m, Monday through Friday, carpool users on eastbound 91 will be charged half-price.

Riverside-area commuters — who flock to jobs in Orange and Los Angeles counties — are expected to be the heaviest users of the toll lanes.

More than 100,000 people already have FasTrak transponders to use the Orange County toll lanes, said Cheryl Donahue, a senior project manager with Arellano Associates, a consultant on the project,. Riverside County residents — especially those in Corona — make up 64 percent of them, she said.

Charges for using the toll lanes — which will be displayed on electronic message boards — will range from $1.80 to $4.95 based on time of day and how heavy traffic is flowing.

Transportation officials will be monitoring their use in the coming weeks and make pricing adjustments, Donahue said.

Though the new lanes are set to open Monday, landscaping and work on nearby roads will continue through fall. Crews also will begin hauling away mounds of dirt and other construction equipment.

That work will involve some lane and ramp closures but not as many and not for as long as during the past three years of construction, Standiford said.